The Policing Project is working to bring community voice to policing, and to study ways to make policing more safe and effective. We are excited to announce that we have been invited by Nashville Mayor David Briley to help Nashville address community concerns about policing in the city.

Our work in Nashville will begin with a full cost-benefit analysis to assess the efficacy of proactive traffic stops, the first study of its kind in the country. This work will look at not only whether such stops influence crime rates, but also the impact these stops have on both community trust and on individuals stopped, including racial, psychological and dignitary harms.

As our work in Nashville continues, we are grateful to have the support of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and a diverse group of community leaders. We also praise Mayor Briley for his commitment to transparency and public participation in policy making (or what we like to call “front-end accountability”).

It is an honor to work with a city filled with so many civically-engaged residents and leaders. (And for our director, Barry Friedman, who taught at Vanderbilt Law School for fourteen years, it’s also an exciting opportunity to work with a city he considers a second home.) We are excited to see how this partnership will grow.

In response to the release by District Attorney General Glenn Funk of video of the shooting of Daniel Hambrick, Mayor David Briley outlined the immediate actions his Administration will take to make sure Nashville is fighting crime effectively.

"It was important for General Funk to release this video for transparency in this investigation," said Mayor David Briley. "This was a tragic event, and my prayers are with Mr. Hambrick's mother and the rest of his family. I don't know if there can be anything worse than losing your child."

Following the incident on July 26, Mayor Briley has met with Metro Police Chief Steve Anderson and community leaders to discuss a comprehensive review of the Police Department's policing strategies.

"No mother should ever have to bury her 25-year-old child and our police should only be required to make a snap decision to discharge their weapons when absolutely necessary," Mayor Briley said.

The Mayor's Office had already begun work with The Policing Project prior to the tragic event. The Policing Project, housed at the New York University School of Law, is a national organization dedicated to strengthening the relationship between police and the communities they serve.

"The Mayor has asked that the Metro Nashville Police Department undergo a comprehensive review of its policing strategies, and I have committed to that process with an open mind. We started that process some months ago working with NYU and its Policing Project, which has been beneficial for both entities," said Chief Anderson.

The Policing Project has three basic principles that are appropriate for Nashville, Mayor Briley said. These include:

Robust engagement between police departments and the communities they serve around the policies and priorities of policing;

When possible, policing practices should be guided by rules and policies that are adopted in advance of action, are transparent, and are formulated with input from the public;

Police departments should develop and use sound metrics of success that encompass all of the goals of policing, including community trust.

"I appreciate the Chief for agreeing to participate in the community process that I'll be leading, with The Policing Project's help, to change our policing culture," said Mayor Briley.

"We need more accountability for what happens when our police officers are on the streets, and we need to do more, on the front end, to guide how we police the city and ensure that our officers have the best training possible for defusing tense and challenging situations," he said.

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